Awake in a Dream
by zjia2
Summary: Bosco and mystery girl who helped him on his road to recovery...Our favorite cop deserves some happiness.
1. Default Chapter

Awake in a Dream

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except the "female lead". Although I got the idea for this story because Bosco does have a neurologist on the show and we might get to meet her.

Ch. 1

"Officer Maurice Bos…lli, 35 y.o. male, treated at Mercy hospital ER on Sept. ? with four gunshot wounds to the abdomen and thorax and one shot to the head…has been in a coma since,…possible cranial and facial nerve damage…"

I shook my head. After a week as the newest Neurology resident at Mercy, I still could not decipher my attending Dr. Mercer's case history. I had just finished my pediatric rotations at another hospital and realized that apart from six year old kids, physicians in general possess the worst penmanship, myself included.

As I paused at the door with my daily dose of caffeine in hand, I gave up on trying to pronounce the illegible name. I was told to take the vital signs only and consult a physical therapist later about starting a program for the comatose patient to prevent muscle atrophy. Easier enough to handle, and I didn't think I need his name for that.

As I opened the door, I was struck by the strong scent of flowers (lilies are my favorite) and the huge amount of cards that piled on the tables and spilled over onto the walls. "Get well soon, Bosco", "hang in there, man", "you can beat this"…etc. I tried to suppress a smile. His friends or colleagues definitely lacked the Hallmark touch, but I could tell that however brief, the messages came from the heart. I opened the blinds, cracked open the window, and turned around to meet the man the whole floor nicknamed "the hero".

I have seen my fair share of attractive men and dated some of them, but I had to admit that Officer B's looks far exceed his reputation. The man was some kind of a celebrity on our floor, and just yesterday I overheard a nurse and a volunteer gossip over coffee break.

"The cop in B-15 is sooooo cute."

"I heard that he was injured in the shootout down in the ER when some gunmen shut down the hospital a while ago. He saved his partner by blocking all those bullets."

"I know, too bad about the wound on his cheek though, that's gonna leave a mark."

"Well, I think he's got bigger problems to worry about than his face, like waking up first and being able to walk again."

I moved closer to the bed to examine his facial wound, but soon got distracted. He had curly brown hair (definitely due for a cut), strong features with lines around a square jaw and a little stubble on his chins. Despite the thick bandages on his right cheek, he was still a very attractive man. I didn't know if I was imagining this, but even in his slumber, his lips seemed to be fixed in a smirk, as if he was contemplating an inside joke. _I hope he's not in pain and that he is smiling in his dreams. I wonder what colored eyes does he have? Wait a minute, what am I doing? I've got 7 more patients to see before rounds and I'm behaving like a teenager with a crush. _

Snapping myself out of a trance, I got back to work. Pulling out a chart, I tried to refocus on the monitors when all of a sudden, the machine produced the sound dreaded by all residents—code blue.

I jumped as if it was my heart that has stopped, a second later my pulse raced wildly. I jammed my finger into the emergency panic button on the wall and rushed over to the bed. As I was looking for the paddles, I noticed something and a huge sense of relief washed over me. He hasn't flatlined! The monitor had simply slipped off from his finger and couldn't read his pulse. Wait a minute, it slipped because…his hand was moving! It seemed to be reaching and trying to grasp for something. Instinctively, I took his hand into my palms. "It's okay, I'm here." I felt as if I'm trying to comfort someone trapped in a nightmare when his eyelids fluttered and opened.

It wasn't the first time I've seen someone wake up from a coma, but the sense of amazement and awe never diminishes. I knew I should be doing a million other things like checking his reflexes, asking him questions, but this time everything felt different. As he tightened his hold of my hands, the only thing I could think of was "_blue"_. His eyes were blue.

Whew, first chapter done. Please review and tell me if I have enough of a premise to go on with the story. What do you think? A little romance some angst? Next chapter is told from Bosco's point of view and we'll get to know more about the "female lead". Any suggestions for her name? Dr. ? ?

p.s. please check out my other story and let me know if anyone's interested in a Finney sequel.


	2. Ch 2

Carly: thanks for the review. Since you're the only one who came up with a name, majority rules. I've already picked the name Claire. I know it's probably not a Latin name, but the main character's name will be Dr. Claire Corinthos.

Ch. 2

The first time I saw Claire, I thought she was an angel. It's kinda embarrassing to admit that me, Maurice Boscorelli could entertain such a cheesy thought. Faith would have definitely laughed at me. But you gotta cut me some slack, my head wasn't exactly right at the time and the trauma probably shook loose a few sentimental nerve fibers. Still, it was a nice feeling to find yourself staring into a pair of beautiful hazelnut eyes when you just woke up from the longest nightmare of your life. The sunlight lit up her dark brown hair from the back, framing her perfect oval face.

For a moment, we just stared at each other and time stood still. Soon enough, I was sucked back into the real world. Lucky for me in a way, I found out that I wasn't dead when a tall blonde man in a white lab coat barged in through the door and started yelling.

"What the hell is going on here? I just got paged about multiple traumas down at the ER from a car pile-up. This had better be an emergency!"

The woman turned hastily. "Dr. Mercer, Mr. Bos…the patient just woke up from his coma, and I thought…"

The man cut her short: "Well, good for him. Dr. Corinthos, I don't know what they taught you in med school, but an alert patient is good news, not an emergency. Give him a proper check-up, order some tests and present to me later, I don't have time to baby sit you now." In a second he was out of the door.

To her credit, the young woman quickly recovered from the thunderstorm. She fixed her eyes on me and smiled: "I'm sorry for that, sir. You shouldn't have to wake up to a yelling match. My name is Dr. Claire Corinthos. You were in a coma. What's your name? Do you remember what happened to you?"

I tried to speak but my mouth was dry. She leaned closer to be able to hear me better. When I spoke my voice was so coarse that I hard recognized it myself. Later on I imagined that my opening line to the most beautiful woman I've ever seen could have been a lot more elegant, but at that moment all I said was: "what's up that guy's ass?"

She seemed surprised, but couldn't suppress a slight chuckle. I noticed that she had dimples. "That's Dr. Mercer. Don't mind him. He's been pretty overworked lately, and babysitting interns isn't his favorite past time. What about you? You haven't answered my questions yet. How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot." I whispered weakly. "the name's Boscorelli."

"Mr. Boscorelli, what do you remember about your injuries?"

I tried to focus, and my head began to pulse slightly. Flashes of scenes kept going through my mind and everything started to rewind…_Faith, Ma, Mikey…_Gunshots started ringing in my ears and glass, pieces if flying glass everywhere…Oh God. Soon my palms were sweaty and my breath became labored.

"Sir, take it easy, it's okay." She sounded concerned. "You should rest and we can talk again later."

"No, my mother, my partner, are they alright? I have to know, now. Please tell me, please." The air in the room felt thinner every second and I couldn't catch my breath.

She held my hand and brought a mask over my nose. "Relax, I'm sure they are fine. I've seen them come to visit you. This oxygen mask will help you breath easier. You can rest for now, and when you wake up again, I'll make sure someone's here by your side."

Her voice was soothing and melodious, and I believed her. Before I slipped back into my dreams, I mumbled a weak "thank you". I hoped she heard me.

Please R& R. I'm finding it hard to write everything in first person narration. I'm constantly trapped in the thoughts of two people. Does anyone mind if I switch to 3rd person perspective to get things going faster?


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